For this summary, we will report on the Civil Service, Finance, Legislation, and Community Development meetings. The Education Committee meeting will be covered in a separate summary. ‘Council Member’ is abbreviated as CM; ‘Council President’ as CP; and ‘Majority Leader’ as ML.

As the body responsible for overseeing city employment, the Civil Service committee approved several job appointments. They also got rid of several old items, by taking them “off the table”—i.e. introducing them into the meeting— and then “receiving and filing” them (sending them to council archives). Over time, as committees table or put off items for later consideration, their agendas become like cumbersome trains, trailing many items that will likely never be addressed.  So, once in a while, committee chairs will “clean house,” shortening and clarifying the lists of items for consideration.

In the Finance Committee, representatives from the Comptroller’s office came to speak about the issue of employees suspended with pay, a topic the council has concerned itself with since learning of a Fire Department clerk who collected paychecks without working for over seven years. CMs Wyatt and Rivera said that the Comptroller’s office should make a more robust effort to review and investigate employee pay. City Accountant Bill Ferguson said that these cases are not matters that the comptroller’s office could resolve; only the administration (the mayor’s office) and individual departments have the power to enforce these policies. CM Everhart pointed out that since the Comptroller’s office had started an investigation into this practice, many employees who had been suspended with pay had quickly returned to work, which suggested to her that they had been overpaid. The committee indicated that the administration should come talk to the council about this.

This committee also cleared old agenda items off. This included receiving and filing a letter concerning Buffalo’s in rem auctions, at which the city sells off property foreclosed for tax debt. Currently, the city keeps all the proceeds of these auctions, although the Supreme Court and even the mayor’s office itself says this is illegal.

Short-term rentals (STRs) were a main topic of discussion at the Legislation committee meeting. CP Scanlon and CM Nowakowski are proposing a new ordinance to regulate this fast-growing sector of city development. Some residents spoke about the benefits of having Airbnb-style accommodation in the city. These proponents argued that STRs promote tourism by offering a cheaper alternative for families and groups, who might not be able to afford multiple hotel rooms. One owner explained that she rented out a room in her house and relied on this income to supplement her inadequate Social Security income.

Other speakers urged the passage of restrictive regulation. They argued that the growth of STRs as an investment vehicle drives up the price of buying and renting for residents, and it decreases the already-inadequate amount of available housing. 

Council members pointed out that their districts have very different needs. There are many vacant houses in CM Wyatt’s district, and he’d like to see them fixed up. In Allentown, on the other hand, there are very few vacancies, so any loss in housing stock presents a difficulty. CP Scanlon reminded listeners that though the proposed STR license fee—$1000—might be high, but so too is the cost to the city, between inspections and monitoring of these units.
The item was tabled to allow council members additional time to consider the impacts of the ordinance.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara spoke in favor of granting landmark status to a historically significant barn on Genesee Avenue. The structure is the last remaining work by Calvin Vaux, who designed the buildings in the Olmstead Park System. PBN hopes to preserve its eligibility for barn rehabilitation tax credits. Preservationist Dan Sack testified about the importance of beautiful spaces and well-designed buildings to our health and well-being. ML Halton-Pope said that before she could support the landmarking, she would speak to people in the neighborhood. She is “always disappointed,” she said, when she hears about preservation projects in African American neighborhoods that do not necessarily reflect the needs or wishes of Black residents.

The Community Development committee heard about and recommended approval for an affordable housing development on Bailey Avenue.